Help! I'm new to keeping fish. I have a five gallon tank. There were a few cherry barbs, and then I added one guppy. The guppy died yesterday, and I simply assumed she didn't "adjust" to the tank, as I had only bought her the day before. I examined her, and the only thing I could see was that her mouth was open, as if she had been gasping for air. None of the other fish were having trouble breathing, so I ignored it. But today, I found one of the cherry barbs dead, with the same open mouth! Any ideas what the problem is? I use filtered water, with "Chlor-out" added..the water had been changed earlier in the day when the guppy died...and the cherry barbs have been living quite successfully, up until now. Unfortunately, I have nothing available to test my water with, but I can't see how it would be my water when they've been living just fine till now? Could something have happened when I cleaned the tank? Please help! Thanks so much.
Fish death
- Thread starter kabukidreamer
- Start date
Ok, a few questions:
Do you know what 'cycling' is when refering to keeping fish?
How long has the tank been set up?
When were the first fish added?
When were any other fish added?
How, exactly, did you clean the tank?
Do you know what 'cycling' is when refering to keeping fish?
How long has the tank been set up?
When were the first fish added?
When were any other fish added?
How, exactly, did you clean the tank?
Yes, I think I understand the cycling process. The tank itself has been up for..oh, 6 weeks or so. The fish were added soon after (but not immediately, it ran for a few days first). The cherry barbs were all put together at once, and have been fine for the last five weeks. Then I added the guppy, did a 30% water change and "siphoned" the gravel the next day. Later that day, the guppy had died, and today I found the barb dead. Like I said, I use filtered water with Chlor-Out added, but when I filtered the water (originally from my tap), could there have been a spike in some THING in the water?
Of course it is not impossible there could have been something in the water that did not exist before. But I think it unlikely.
How did you clean the tank, exactly?
How did you acclimatize the new fish to the tank?
Do you change out water in the tank on a regular basis? If so how much?
It could have just been the fish. Or maybe the fish brought a problem with it that is now in your tank.
Setting up a quarantine tank to observe new fish before they are added to your main tank is a very, very good idea. It will save you a lot of grief.
How did you clean the tank, exactly?
How did you acclimatize the new fish to the tank?
Do you change out water in the tank on a regular basis? If so how much?
It could have just been the fish. Or maybe the fish brought a problem with it that is now in your tank.
Setting up a quarantine tank to observe new fish before they are added to your main tank is a very, very good idea. It will save you a lot of grief.
The guppie had an open mouth, like I had said, and so did the barb. Upon examination, also, the barb's "face" was whiter in color than normal, and under the surface of his skin, it almost looked...like a blood vessel had burst, perhaps. There was a spot (under the surface) where it looked almost bloody, but his actual "skin" was unbroken. If this helps at all.
The temperature is 80 degrees. It had been at 78. I noticed it was climbing slowly, but it stopped at 80, and it moved slowly enough that they shouldn't have been shocked. I don't believe 80 is enough to hurt them?
The temperature is 80 degrees. It had been at 78. I noticed it was climbing slowly, but it stopped at 80, and it moved slowly enough that they shouldn't have been shocked. I don't believe 80 is enough to hurt them?
I have a "siphon" I used to remove 30 % of the water and vaccuum around the gravel. Then I filtered new water and put it in, and added the Chlor-Out (measured out to how much new water I put in). I was watching the temperature while I put it in, so there were no spikes in temperature...
Actually, I have a quarantine tank, but there is currently a sketchy looking snail in it. I felt my odds were better moving the guppie with the others than putting him with the snail, or moving the snail. Maybe not..
There are no signs of ick or velvet that I can see in the tank. For two fish to have died, there'd be some indication of ick if that was the case, I would think. The other fish SEEM fine, but so did the first two. There were no signs of sickness to my eyes, anyways. The deaths seemed very sudden.
Is it okay to do another partial water change so soon? Right now, my reaction is to blame the water quality, though I may be wrong.
The barb was well past acclimitization, as he's been in there for five weeks now. That may have been the guppy's problem,which I assumed so at first. But my general process is to float the bag 20-30 minutes, add some tank water and let it sit a few minutes, add a little more tank water, then take the fish from the bag to the tank.
Actually, I have a quarantine tank, but there is currently a sketchy looking snail in it. I felt my odds were better moving the guppie with the others than putting him with the snail, or moving the snail. Maybe not..
There are no signs of ick or velvet that I can see in the tank. For two fish to have died, there'd be some indication of ick if that was the case, I would think. The other fish SEEM fine, but so did the first two. There were no signs of sickness to my eyes, anyways. The deaths seemed very sudden.
Is it okay to do another partial water change so soon? Right now, my reaction is to blame the water quality, though I may be wrong.
The barb was well past acclimitization, as he's been in there for five weeks now. That may have been the guppy's problem,which I assumed so at first. But my general process is to float the bag 20-30 minutes, add some tank water and let it sit a few minutes, add a little more tank water, then take the fish from the bag to the tank.
Was this the first time you changed out any water or do you do this on a regualr basis?
You stated you 'cleaned' the tank. This might not seem like a possible cause but it truly might be. How did you clean it?
Floating a bag in the aquarium stresses out a fish. It is much better to put the fish in a bucket with a slow drip of the aquarium water going into the bucket.
As for the fish having an open mouth after death, when I think about it, I don't believe I've ever seen a fish with a closed mouth when it was dead. But maybe I didn't pay that close of attention to that fact.
Also, please consider getting some testing kits. They are an ENORMOUS help. Not only allowing you to know what is going on with the water chemistry, but to help others to provide suggestions to possible causes. In that respect everyone is in the dark with your tank.
You stated you 'cleaned' the tank. This might not seem like a possible cause but it truly might be. How did you clean it?
Floating a bag in the aquarium stresses out a fish. It is much better to put the fish in a bucket with a slow drip of the aquarium water going into the bucket.
As for the fish having an open mouth after death, when I think about it, I don't believe I've ever seen a fish with a closed mouth when it was dead. But maybe I didn't pay that close of attention to that fact.
Also, please consider getting some testing kits. They are an ENORMOUS help. Not only allowing you to know what is going on with the water chemistry, but to help others to provide suggestions to possible causes. In that respect everyone is in the dark with your tank.
I've changed the water before, I try to do it fairly regularly. I do it around every two weeks.
Yes, I agree that I need to get a testing kit. To be honest, I just put it off. I had a one gallon for around two months with no problems. Moved up to a five gallon and more fish, with no problems. So I kind of went, "Yeah, I'll pick one up, later". Now it's midnight and I'm wishing I had one laying around...
I suppose I didn't mean "cleaning" the tank. I meant vaccuuming the stray gunk off the gravel and changing the water, that's all I do.
You'd have to explain what you mean about a bucket more..I've never heard that before. You empty the bag into a bucket, then drip in water from your aquarium?
I was wondering about the open mouth myself. I really wasn't sure if it was normal or not. For some reason, it really caught my attention and I thought maybe it was strange.
The cherry barb was quite large for a barb, and a bright red, which shows he was at least to maturity when I got him 3 months ago (He, I have had since my one-gallon days). It's always possible it was just his time, though I really doubt that since it happened right after the guppy.
Is it too soon to change out some water, just to be safe?
Yes, I agree that I need to get a testing kit. To be honest, I just put it off. I had a one gallon for around two months with no problems. Moved up to a five gallon and more fish, with no problems. So I kind of went, "Yeah, I'll pick one up, later". Now it's midnight and I'm wishing I had one laying around...
I suppose I didn't mean "cleaning" the tank. I meant vaccuuming the stray gunk off the gravel and changing the water, that's all I do.
You'd have to explain what you mean about a bucket more..I've never heard that before. You empty the bag into a bucket, then drip in water from your aquarium?
I was wondering about the open mouth myself. I really wasn't sure if it was normal or not. For some reason, it really caught my attention and I thought maybe it was strange.
The cherry barb was quite large for a barb, and a bright red, which shows he was at least to maturity when I got him 3 months ago (He, I have had since my one-gallon days). It's always possible it was just his time, though I really doubt that since it happened right after the guppy.
Is it too soon to change out some water, just to be safe?
Changing out more water should be fine. Only when the water hasn't been changed out in a long time should you be careful. The longer since the last water change the smaller the amount should be. But if you change out 30% at least every two weeks then you won't have that issue. Change out more water, by all means.
Read this thread about acclimatizing fish to your tank:
http://aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29881&highlight=kikuchiyo
That'll cover that technique.
Read this thread about acclimatizing fish to your tank:
http://aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29881&highlight=kikuchiyo
That'll cover that technique.
Changing some of the water shouldn't cause a problem. The bacteria you need is in the filter, gravel, decorations, and such, not the water.
I just can't help wondering if the problem wasn't brought in with the guppy. It's such a coincidence, but you said the rest of the fish are ok so far.
Test kits for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates should be kept on hand. They are very important, especially when a problem occurs, like now. You can check your waters' params instantly to make sure it's ok. Other kits are good to have, too, like PH, but the first three are almost a must. You can get master kits that include almost everything and they are usually cheaper than buying separately.
I just can't help wondering if the problem wasn't brought in with the guppy. It's such a coincidence, but you said the rest of the fish are ok so far.
Test kits for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates should be kept on hand. They are very important, especially when a problem occurs, like now. You can check your waters' params instantly to make sure it's ok. Other kits are good to have, too, like PH, but the first three are almost a must. You can get master kits that include almost everything and they are usually cheaper than buying separately.